Learn To Trust The Process, Not The Product
INTRO
Welcome to another installment of #AJsBookClub. If you haven’t already, make sure you join our Facebook group where we take books like this and discuss them with a group of like minded individuals. We’re a growing community and would love to hear your thoughts on “success focused” books!
“Show Your Work!” is Austin Kleon’s follow up to his New York Times Best Seller “Steal Like An Artist” (Read that review here!). If Steal Like An Artist was a book about stealing influence from other people, this book is about how to influence others by letting them steal from you.
Kleon again uses his unique style of doodles and targeted quotes to get his message across. These 2 books (I’ve only read the first 2 so far) are really the genesis for a lot of content I plan to put on this site. Originally, I was only going to focus on book reviews, but there is so much out there in the world to learn from. Why limit ourselves? Let’s show it all. We’ll do it live!
I won’t dive in to every topic in here, because this is another book you should ABSOLUTELY consider buying. What I will do is highlight some of the key topics that really stood out to me and had an impact on me personally. You could definitely read this book with a different lens and take away a ton of different content to help you out. So, long story short, support the author and buy a copy dammit! haha
Be An Amateur
“That’s What All of Us Are: Amateurs. We don’t live long enough to be anything else” - Charlie Chaplin
We spend much of our lives thinking we’re not good enough to do something, or to be someone. We’re not an expert. We’re not a genius. We’re not enough. Bullshit. Very few people truly are, and the ones that are started no different than you. Life is too short to worry about what others think. What’s amazing too is that the “experts” are not always the ones who get the most coverage. Very often we see that the professionals get jaded in their lives and lose that pizzazz that made them who they are. We need amateurs. It’s not their knowledge that we’re often drawn to, it’s their spirit for what they love that we follow.
Open Up and Share Daily
One thing that I found interesting was the parallels between Austin Kleon’s second principle in this book and something I read in “The Millionare Fastlane” (Read That Review Here!) Think Process, No Product. This sounds very much like wealth is a process, not an event. From an Kleon’s view (the artist view), he points out that we live in an unprecedented world where we can open up, show our process and vulnerabilities in our art to the world. This is a view that most people don’t get. We should appreciate that ability to share content with people who might never see it. We can all go see paintings in museums from our favorite artists, but imagine being able to see Leonardo DiVinci actually PAINT the Mona Lisa in real time. You want to share the process to help gain a following. This will make your product that much more enjoyable for others in the end.
The world of the internet, (YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok especially) make it so much easier to put yourself out there. How many “how to” or “behind the scenes” videos do you watch? Do you spend your days watching the Kardashians getting their makeup done?
Seeing the finished product is great, but seeing how it’s done makes it feel more achievable. Almost like something you could do yourself. Or dare I say Steal? (see what I did there)
Open up and share a little bit of your process every day. Build up the excitement for people so they’ll be extra stoked to see your finished product. Hell, it doesn’t even need to always be your work. Share something that is just meaningful to you. Give people an insight in to WHO you are and not just WHAT your product is.
This was powerful for me to read. Even as a DJ I know I wasn’t sharing enough of what I was working on or insight in to my life. I also know it’s something I need to be better at. I’m starting with this blog. I will share a lot more of my thoughts & weird musings as I go. Probably a lot more than I originally planned, but that’s the fun of you. You can see in to the weird way I think and maybe you’ll find something interesting you want to steal for yourself!
Gary Vaynerchuk is big on this idea. He says you should be posting 5-7 times a day online. Content is king, and it’s what gets your name out there. The thing, though, is that you don’t always need to be posting about your projects or business, you just need to be posting. You are a content creator. You need to contribute and entertain people with what you put out. Teach the things you know, but at the same time…
Don’t Be Human Spam
But AJ, you just spent this whole time talking about how important it is to share everything we do and give people all this content, but how is that not spamming them??? Don’t toy with my emotions dammit!
Relax, just like anything else in life, there is a balance. I think we all have had that friend who has fallen in to the world of some sort of sales or marketing program and that’s all they talk about. You know you can’t have a conversation with them without feeling like you’re about to be sold something. That sucks. You don’t want that.
We all have the spammy friend that we don’t like being around. Now think about the person on the other end of the spectrum. That one friend that everyone LOVES to talk to. He or she is enthusiastic, engaging, and knows how to spark a great conversation. They know all about your kids and ask how your dog is doing. It’s a very natural and easy relationship to have and one that you look forward to. THIS is what you want your presence to be like online.
Be a real person who you can connect with. Ask fun and thought provoking questions to spark fun conversation. Show that you have a love for what you do and people who you love to follow. And I don’t just mean constantly tweeting at them saying “let’s collab yo” or “Follow Back!” No one likes a thirsty friend.
Kleon shares a fun story about music producer Adrian Younge. He one day tweeted a fun question “Who Is Better: The Dramatics or The Delfonics?” This erupted in to a twitter debate of epic proportions. Including someone who commented that they knew William Hart (lead singer of The Delfonics) and that he was a big fan of Younge’s work. Fast forward, Younge ended up doing a collaboration with Hart called Adrian Younge Presents The Delfonics.
Interact with people on the level of being a fan.
The Vampire Test
Due to my normally (outside of summer time) insanely pale skin and penchant for not liking to sleep, I have often been referred to as a vampire. And sometimes a robot. But this is not that type of vampire test. No garlic involved. I bring this up because it put in to words something I have struggled to verbalize for years.
Austin Kleon talks about a simple way to know who you should let in and out of your life. His vampire test comes down to how you feel after an interaction with someone. If you feel drained, depleted, and lifeless, then that person is a vampire and you should banish them from your life! If you feel full of energy, that person is NOT a vampire and you want them around. This is another way of saying keep only those with good vibes around. You want people who build you up, not break you down. This extends to more than just people too. Jobs, hobbies, places, etc can all be vampires. The worst part is, there is no cure for vampires. While banishing might sound harsh, it’s the only thing that can be done!
I like to think that this is good for more than just who or what you want to cut out of your life. Make your content fun. It shouldn’t suck the life out of people. Make it engaging!
Build Your Base And Sell Out!
The phrase gets thrown around quite often as an insult. A Sellout. Someone who gives up the heart & soul of what they do for money. Austin Kleon starts this section with an awesome quite by Bill Withers (who I love btw)
“Sellout…I’m not crazy about that word. We’re all entrepreneurs. To me, I don’t care if you own a furniture store or whatever - the best sign you can put up is SOLD OUT”
When you have a passion for art, writing, or really anything, the goal is to make that in to a sustainable life for you and your family. So yes, you need to be able to sell and preferably sell out. This is not a bad thing. It means that you’ve grown a fan base that enjoys your content so much that they’re willing to pay you for your work. THIS IS THE GOAL PEOPLE!!
Kleon brings up something that I’ve seen many successful people suggest, start a mailing list. It’s a simple utilitarian way to stay in touch with people. You never know when or how you might want to connect with your base, but it’s always good to have that option open
I’ll insert a shameless plug here. After reading this book, I actually when and started my own mailing list. I only plan to send out an email every week or 2. My plan is focus on bringing you some motivational content. Things to help get your week going. Plus anything interesting that I’ve come across on the internet over the past few days. There’s a lot I’ve been dying to share that this really is the best way. If you’re interested in learning more or want to sign up, click here and check it out!
Stick Around!
Kleon’s last chapter is a great segway in to his next book “Keep Going". It’s all about how your story only ends when you decide it’s over. Even if you think you’ve finally done your big thing, you still need to ask yourself “What’s Next?” Find your passion and just keep doing it. Keep making content and keep producing.
There is an interesting story in this chapter about Ernest Hemingway’s style of writing. Many people stay up late to finish and idea or get a thought out. As humans we love to complete a task and close it off in our minds. Hemingway did the exact opposite. He would in fact stop in the middle of a sentence so he had a good start to pick up from the next day.
What ever your method is, find you way to keep moving forward, even if that means stepping away for a little while and coming back to you work at a later date. It’s all about what works best for you as an artist
Conclusion
This book really helped put things in perspective for me relative to this blog and some other projects I have planned for the next few months. It helped me to realize the importance of putting out good consistent content for people. It might not always be the best, but it will be open and honest.
Hell this even helped me to press on and get my mailing list started. Did I mention that already? If not you should check it out here (shameless plug I know)
As always we’re just scraping the surface of this book, be sure to get yourself a copy of “Show Your Work!” and check out AustinKleon.com and follow him on the social medias.
Until Next Time!
Austin Kleon - Author of “Show Your Work!”